POLICE perpetrators of domestic abuse are being protected from facing justice, leaving their victims “doubly powerless,” campaigners claimed today.

The Centre for Women’s Justice (CWJ) filed a super-complaint against 15 forces, highlighting “systematic failures” that women face when reporting abusive partners employed by the police. 

The complaint compiles evidence gathered by the CWJ and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, including the cases of 19 women who have been victims of abuse, stalking and rape. 

A central concern by the legal group was that ”police abusers are being protected and not brought to justice.” 

The CWJ stressed that women in this position feel “doubly powerless.” 

“They experience the powerlessness that most domestic-abuse victims experience, but in addition their abuser is part of the system intended to protect them,” the complaint reads. 

In 33 out of 43 forces in England and Wales, 666 reports of domestic abuse by officers and other staff were made over a three-year period, according to data obtained by the group.

The CWJ said that it had identified a number of common themes in the women’s accounts, including abuse of the system in the suspect’s favour. 

The group suggested this could reflect a “culture of loyalty” among colleagues to protect the suspect’s career over allegations of abuse. 

“We are concerned about a ‘locker-room culture’ that trivialises violence against women, where loyalty towards fellow officers and concern about impact on their careers may be getting in the way of justice for women who report abuse,” CWJ solicitor Nogah Ofer said. 

Many women also described intimidation by their partner preventing them reporting abuse, such as one case in which a victim was threatened with arrest if she made a complaint. 

In cases where women were also police officers, reporting their partner often resulted in bullying and victimisation in the workplace. 

The charity is calling for changes that would allow victims to make complaints directly to  the Independent Office for Police Conduct rather than a force, and see neighbouring forces investigate the complaint rather than those where the suspect works.

The super-complaint — a system whereby organisations can bring complaints on behalf of the public to address harmful patterns or trends in policing — has been submitted to HM Chief Inspector of Constabularies.

Women’s Aid tweeted: “It’s terrifying to think a domestic abuser could walk free simply because he’s a police officer.

“We fully support this super-complaint. No perpetrator is above the law.”